RTE ‘bidding against itself’ on top earners’ fees, chairwoman says

RTE is “bidding against itself” in the fees it pays its highest earners, the chairwoman of the broadcaster’s board has said.

Siun Ni Raghallaigh had been asked by the Oireachtas Media Committee whether anybody at RTE should be paid more than the Taoiseach.

While the Taoiseach is currently paid just over 217,000 euro a year, presenter Ryan Tubridy was revealed to have been paid 515,000 euro in both 2022 and 2021.

The published figure before last week was an annual fee of 440,000 euro.

Liveline’s Joe Duffy is the second highest RTE earner, on 351,000 euro, and radio presenter Claire Byrne is on 280,000 euro.

When asked about RTE fees and salaries being higher than that of Ireland’s premier, Ms Ni Raghallaigh said: “I said it earlier that my opinion is that RTE is bidding against itself in the market and that’s part of the culture as well, maybe that applied at some point in time, but that’s not the way the market is working – I think we all know that.

“And therefore the market will decide, but RTE has to act in relation to that and identify the influence that they have in the marketplace in that sense, and so that in itself would determine the level in the market.”

RTE interim director general Adrian Lynch also confirmed that RTE would be prepared to publish details of Patrick Kielty’s salary as the new Late Late Show host, if the Co Down-born comedian was happy with it.

Ms Ni Raghallaigh said the pay deal relating to Kielty has yet to come before the board’s remuneration committee.

The deal was agreed with the chief financial officer.

On Wednesday evening, RTE News reported that Kielty wants to make his fee for presenting The Late Late Show public once it goes through the appropriate processes.